get to the table, stay at the table...

Capitalist Note: That's right - I'm pulling quotes from the movie Boiler Room (which is Gen X's version of Glengarry Glen Ross), which is a movie you should pull up on Netflix if you haven't seen it. It's about a renegade brokerage firm, and a lost soul that gets caught up as an associate there. Good times.

"Telling's Not Selling"--Greg Weinstein from the movie Boiler Room

What can HR learn from that quote from Boiler Room? I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but these things come to mind:

1. Telling someone what do to is transactional in nature. Lowest common denominator. You're better than that.

2. Letting other people talk is much higher end, and results in more closed business. Your closed business in HR looks different than sales, but you're still trying to close, right?

3. Solution selling has a place in HR, but you have to ask questions and then be nimble about where you go from there.

4. The best HR pros say "yes" to a lot more things than average HR pros. But saying yes with conditions involves listening to what others want and then finding a path. If you're caught up in "telling" people what the deal is rather than listening, you're hosed.

Telling's not selling, people. Here's a clip from Boiler Room to get you a feel for what you'll see when you fire it up on Netflix...

Well said. An engaged organization doesn't need to be told when to tie their shoelaces.

HR CAN create an engaged organization by:
1. Helping the top team set a bold, clear, unifying company goal
2. Breaking down and aligning the goal into/with departmental KPIs that are significantly rewarded
3. Supporting the organization by communicating formally and informally about progress and ever needed tweaks along the way.